Each month, The Stone House Center for Public Humanities interviews a humanities scholar or community member and asks them everything from why they believe the humanities are important to what they're currently binge-watching. We hope that our new blog series, Coffee & Questions, will inspire you, introduce you to a variety of people and fields, as well as create new conversations.

Our guest this month is Jason M. Kelly, Director of the IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute and an Associate Professor of British History in the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. He is a Visiting Research Fellow at Newcastle University and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.
 
Dr. Kelly received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara and is the author of The Society of Dilettanti: Archaeology and Identity in the British Enlightenment (Yale University Press and the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, 2010).
 
As Director of the IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute, Dr. Kelly supports IUPUI’s research mission by directing the IAHI grant programs, identifying and fostering transdisciplinary research collaborations, and organizing research workshops and symposia.  He also acts as a liaison to the Indianapolis community, and in this capacity facilitates collaborative endeavors including performances, lectures, and research projects.
 
Dr. Kelly’s research projects focus on the histories of the environment, human rights, art. His current book project is A History of the Anthropocene, a deep history of human-nature relations. He leads a major international collaborative project, Rivers of the Anthropocene, which brings together scientists, humanists, and policy makers to study global river systems and policy since 1750. He directs The Cultural Ecologies Project, a public research program and PhD track that works with community stakeholders to examine cultural interventions across multiple scales — from the personal to the neighborhood to the city level. He also directs Digital Freetown, an immersive, virtual reality educational environment focusing on African American history.
 
Dr. Kelly is also the recipient of the IUPUI Research Trailblazers Award (2013), two IU Trustees Teaching Awards (2011, 2008), and the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI Student Council Outstanding Academic Adviser Award (2010).

What inspires you in your current position/role?
My biggest inspiration comes from working with the many local communities beyond campus. One project that I am particularly excited about is our Cultural Ecologies project, which asks the question: how do cultural interventions transform cities? There are several components of this project including assessment and evaluation research, a PhD track, and a public seminar. From its conception, members of the community have been actively involved, and because of this, we’ve developed increasingly close working relationships with community partners. Our seminar, "The Ethics, Values, and Practices of Public Art in Urban Contexts” is a great example. It has brought together faculty, students, local artists, and art organizations to talk about the role that art plays in making communities. We’ve tackled some big questions about class, race, gentrification, and more. Beginning in Fall 2017, we will have several new PhD students whose coursework includes long-term internships in local cultural organizations, helping them develop solutions to the challenges that they face.   
 
What work experiences (past or present) have been the most educational for you, and why?
I have had lots of jobs over the years: park ranger, HVAC installation and repair, day care, apartment manager, and many more. I’ve learned something from each of them. But, I have to say that by current job has been the most educational. It’s taught me to think more about what we mean when we talk about “scholarship.” It’s led me to be a much more creative researcher. 
 
What project(s) are you currently working on?
In addition to the Cultural Ecologies Project, which I mention above, I direct the Rivers of the Anthropocene (RoA) project. RoA is a transdisciplinary research network of dozens of humanists, scientists, artists, social scientists, policy makers, and community organizers from eight different countries who focus on global water systems. In addition to holding regular symposia, this project supports a number of research endeavors, including Voices from the Waterways (an oral history project) and the Museum of the Anthropocene (a series of exhibitions that will begin popping up in 2018). In relation to RoA, I am writing a book _A History of the Anthropocene_. I am the lead editor on an edited volume, _Rivers of the Anthropocene_ that comes out this fall. And, we have two more edited volumes in production. 
 
Why do you believe that the humanities are important to everyone, and not just people in academia?
In addition to the joy that the humanities bring to everyday life, I think the humanities are important because they hold us accountable. They help us imagine a world beyond ourselves, to consider the effects that we have on other people across distance and time. And, they ask us to justify our choices in multiple ways — ethically, historically, socially.

What is something that people might be surprised to learn about you (hobby, skill, interesting story)?
I don’t know how surprising it is, but I love to tend to our garden — and especially make it inviting to animals, which at the moment includes a fox, several Cooper’s Hawks, a Great Horned Owl, lots of songbirds, a few frogs, dragonflies, and butterflies. Visiting the garden is like entering a Beatrix Potter book sometimes. 
 
What is your first thought in the morning and last thought at night?
Don’t check your email. 
 
What is the worst job that you had while working through your degree and what would you tell your past self now?
I was very fortunate to have good jobs while working through my degrees. The hardest job though was installing ductwork in attics in the middle of the summer. Temperatures could get unbearable. We would be sweating and covered in fiberglass fibers, which got under our skin and itched and burned. But, I had a good boss and worked with a great crew. We were all in it together, which meant that event the hardest work wasn’t entirely unpleasant. 
 
I would give my past self the same advice that I would give myself now. It’s the same advice a wise friend once gave me: "Slow down. There is plenty of time to do everything you want accomplish.” I know it’s very good advice, and sometimes I even listen to it. 

~~~

Check back next month for more Coffee & Questions. In case you missed our interview last month with local performer, Angie Settlemire, click here.

Want to be interviewed? Contact us.   

Each month, The Center for Public Humanities interviews a humanities scholar or community member and asks them everything from why they believe the humanities are important to what they're currently binge-watching. We hope that our new blog series, Coffee & Questions, will inspire you, introduce you to a variety of people and fields, as well as create new conversations.

Our guest this month is Angie Settlemire, President of the board of the Grove City Art Council (aka ArtWorks). She is also the founder and director of Outta Theatre. Angie holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Grove City College. She also graduated from Mimeistry International School of Arts  as a Journeyman Mime with a specialization in Directing. In 2006, Angie co-founded Tri-flections, an Imaginative Arts Organization, which performed and toured through 2008. During that time she also assisted with the choreography and direction of the mimodrama, Alice in Wonderland at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan and at the University Of Hartford’s Summer Musical Theatre Intensive.

Regionally, Angie has performed at the Barrow Theatre in Franklin and as a mime for Grove City Art Walk and Strawberry Days. In 2015, she became the GC Art & Theatre Camp Director, as well as President of the Grove City Artworks board.  She plans to continue expanding her class offerings and to create inspiring, fun, family friendly student and professional level performances for the community to enjoy.

What inspires you in your current position/role? 
I am currently the President of the board of the Grove City Arts Council, as well as founder and director of Outta Theatre in Grove City.  The latter is my full time job.  I teach private piano and voice, as well as theatre, mime, and home school music classes.  I started Outta Theatre to bring the performing arts into Grove City and I joined ArtWorks in order to network and help build relationships and bridges that will create a larger more supportive arts community here. 

My inspiration comes from both my passion for creativity and my passion for making a difference in people’s lives.  I love to see a child light up with excitement as he listens to a new kind of music for the first time. And I never get tired of seeing someone go from being reserved and fearful to being full of confidence and life – all because they learned how to break out of their comfort zone to perform on stage. That is something that changes a person forever. Art (music & theatre specifically) brings out the best in someone; it opens their eyes to show them who they truly are and sets them free. 

What project(s) are you currently working on?
The Grove City Arts Council (aka ArtWorks) started a summer Art & Theatre Camp 6 years ago.  This is my 3rd year as director of the camp.  It is a very large undertaking, but such an important opportunity for the kids in our community.  It is coming up July 17-21, so a lot of time is focusing on getting ready for that.  Last year we had over 80 kids enrolled.  This year we are not at that number yet, but enrollment is still open, so I am hopeful that families will continue to take advantage of this experience.

This year we are offering classes in Creative Writing, Musical Theatre, Kids Theatre, Physical Theatre, Ceramics, Yarn Arts, Mosaics, Watercolor, Dance, Puppet Creations, Beach Art, and SENSE-ational Art for preschoolers.  We are also offering an extension camp  the week of July 31 at Grove City High School – it’s Wheel Throwing taught by Chris Bauer, one of the district’s art teachers.  It’s an exciting time. 

On top of that, as director of Outta Theatre, I am also organizing a 3 day Piano Olympics Camp in the morning and Singing Olympics Camp in the afternoon July 26-28. It’s going to be a high-energy, fun way to explore piano and singing technique. 

Outta Theatre has been doing Kids and Teen shows regularly for almost 5 years now, and now it’s time to start branching out into adult theatre, as well.  I would love to start an annual tradition of holding a Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre weekend.  We are holding auditions for our first Murder Mystery play on June 30 for ages 16 & up.

Why do you believe that the humanities are important to everyone, and not just people in academia? 
Art is the most powerful way to open the door into unreachable places inside of someone’s heart.  I’ve seen people who struggle with self-image absolutely blossom as they discover the freedom of creative expression.  Art can help bring healing.  It is about celebrating life, exploring ideas, facing fears, connecting people, embarking on adventures, communicating truth, and coping with loss.  It makes us laugh and cry because art is at the core of what makes us human. 

What is something that people might be surprised to learn about you (hobby, skill, interesting story)?  
After my first year at Mimeistry (a performing arts school in California), we spent a month in Switzerland for a mime performance tour.  Afterwards, two friends and I decided we would hop over to Italy for 3 days. Those 3 days would make a great movie! We stayed at a monastery college in the middle of nowhere and no one spoke English. Two days in a row the monks drove us to the train station just in time for us to MISS the train.  We had to wait a couple of hours for the next one.  On top of that, the trains went on strike our last day and we almost missed the last one back to where we were staying.  We literally had to run to catch it and then we had to guess what transfers to take because it was different than the original trip.  In order to get to the airport on our last day we had to pay one of the monks to give us a ride.  We also got sick while we were there and by the time we touched down at LAX – I had completely lost my voice and couldn’t make a sound for the next 5 days.  It took weeks for my voice to fully recover.  And that is only a little bit of the story.

What shows are you currently binge-watching? 
I am in between binge-watchings at the moment.  Most recently would be The Flash. 
 
What is the worst job that you had while working through your degree and what would you tell your past self now?
My worst job was actually after I graduated from both Grove City College and Mimeistry International.  I was trying to get a theatre performance company started with 2 other friends with whom I went to school in California.  We all had 2 jobs on top of trying to get bookings and traveling whenever we could – we performed in several states, but not consistently. 

I started working as a substitute teacher AND I worked at the outlet mall cleaning the food court and the restrooms. It was a temporary job, but I thought I had descended into the pits of eternal punishment. It gave me an amazing appreciation for all of those hard working folks out there who continue to clean those places so that we can enjoy them. And I could tell you disgustingly funny stories about that time! If I could jump in a time machine and talk to myself, I would mostly say “Suck it up! This is only temporary and it will give you some great stories to tell. We all have to do whatever it takes to reach our dreams.”

~~~

Check back next month for more Coffee & Questions. In case you missed Aksel Casson's interview last month, click here.

Want to be interviewed? Contact us.  

Each month, The Center for Public Humanities interviews a humanities scholar or community member and asks them everything from why they believe the humanities are important to what they're currently binge-watching. We hope that our new blog series, Coffee & Questions, will inspire you, introduce you to a variety of people and fields, as well as create new conversations.

Our guest this month is Aksel Casson, anthropology instructor at Slippery Rock University, teaching courses across the sub-disciplines of anthropology. In addition to teaching a four-field introductory course, he teaches courses in archaeology and world prehistory, the anthropology of religion, medical anthropology, biological anthropology, applied anthropology and regional courses in the archaeology of the Americas and cultures of the Middle East. He routinely takes students with him to Turkey, as part of his archaeological fieldwork and as part of an annual Spring Break trip to Istanbul. Dr. Casson serves on the Center for Middle East Studies, the Center for Public Humanities, the International Arts & Culture Series, and directs excavations at the 19th century historic archaeological site at the Old Stone House in Slippery Rock.

What inspires you in your current position/role?
The daily interaction with students.  Nothing is more satisfying to me than when - during the course of the semester - the in-class exchanges begin to switch from a one-way delivery of information(from me to them) to a true conversation, where we share ideas and opinions - and sometimes content - about course material.  We're there now, with my Cultures of the Middle East course and my Health and Society course, where students and I are bringing lively discussion of current events into our now well-established theoretical approach to the discipline.  It's invigorating. 

What work experiences (past or present) have been the most educational for you, and why?
As an archaeologist, it might be surprising to say that it has rarely been the actual act of digging something up, but instead the most educational experiences were the collaborative analysis of the objects that we "dug up".  Time spent in laboratories with colleagues, talking about the context of our finds, about how to develop creative tools of analysis or exhibition of our findings, etc.  - these are the moments that I treasure.  I remember, for example, working in Turkey many summers ago, with a team of international archaeologists, trying to figure out a way to map and recreate on paper the dimensions of ancient building that we - almost literally - stumbled upon.  We didn't have any of our high-tech tools with us (we had our phones, a dustbin and a few rulers) yet we managed to calculate angles, sketch the dimensions, record some video content, and then offer an interpretation about the use and history of the structure, including deciphering some Latin engraved on one of the stones.  It was terrific.

Why do you believe that the humanities are important to everyone, and not just people in academia?
That's how we understand people and recognize the value of diversity - different perspectives, different experiences - and yet through all of that, our shared humanity shines through.  This is clear when we read a book, watch a film, consume some art, or whatever it may be - we recognize the overlaps and the range of experience that is possible.  I've taken to listening to books on tape on my commute to and from work - this semester I've been listening to books that take place in other countries, countries where our international students reside.  I've listened to books from Nepal, India, and China - all which have better allowed to relate to and understand our students a bit more.  

What shows are you currently binge-watching?
The NBA Playoffs.

What is your first thought in the morning and last thought at night?
Who's turn is it to change the baby's diaper?

What's a book you've always wanted to read but haven't gotten around to?
Satanic Verses.  It's my wife's favorite book.  

~~~

Check back next month for more Coffee & Questions. In case you missed our interview last month with poet and political activist, Tuhin Das, click here.

Want to be interviewed? Contact us.   

Each month, The Center for Public Humanities interviews a humanities scholar or community member and asks them everything from why they believe the humanities are important to what they're currently binge-watching. We hope that our blog series, Coffee & Questions, will inspire you, introduce you to a variety of people and fields, as well as create new conversations.

Our guest this month is Tuhin Das, a poet, activist, political columnist, short story writer and essayist. He was born and raised in Barisal, Bangladesh. He is the author of seven poetry books in his native language (Bengali). He's also had contemporary poetry criticism articles, short stories, and political columns published in Bangladesh.

Since 2013, he has been the target of fundamentalist militant groups who have murdered secular writers and activists in Bangladesh. Instead of protecting him, the police collected and examined his writings for anti-Islamist statements to use against him. To save his own life, he had no choice but to go into hiding and find a way out of Bangladesh. He left his country in 2016. Tuhin Das is now the current ICORN writer-in-residence of City of Asylum in Pittsburgh. His interviews have been featured in Sampsonia Way Magazine, North Side Chronicle, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, BBC Hindi, Voice of America, and NPR.

What project(s) are you currently working on?
I have started writing a memoir about my experiences since my arrival in the USA. This memoir is named 365 Days in Pittsburgh. I have been introduced to many novelties that carry a lot of significance, and I did not want to lose them. I have always tried to reflect and present my memories through my writings. I have started writing my first novel after arriving here - a novel based on Bangladesh. I am trying to sketch the way of life of a family that belongs to a minority religion in Bangladesh as a testament of a backward society in the twenty-first century.  For three decades since my birth I have witnessed nationalism based on religious fundamentalism views. I may not have been able to write about it freely in the past; however, after reaching here, I have been able to write freely.

I have been thinking, how do I publish my novel after I have completed writing it? Books and literature expressing opposing or different views and opinions are being banned in Bangladesh-writers and publishers are being either imprisoned or murdered. So, I do not think any publisher will be interested in publishing a novel that is based on such sensitive issues. Anyone reading this novel will understand how fundamentalist views and practices of a religion has determined the stand or position of minority communities and women in the social structure of a developing country like Bangladesh. Today, I see on one side, a fear factor is being spread in the name of religion among the common citizens, and on the other hand, the government is controlling the citizens by making laws that curb the freedom of speech. Existing social, political, and religious systems can encage a man. A writer’s job is to express his or her thoughts freely. This struggle has been on since the dawn of human civilization.

What is your first thought in the morning and last thought at night?
When I wake up early morning I hear a couple of birds chirping. It reminds me of my motherland, Bangladesh, where birds woke me up every day. Although I cannot recognize the birds from their calls here, their songs take me back to my homeland. First, I remember the birds and then the countrymen. The helpless sunburnt faces pain me. They do not have a lot of wants or desires. They want to work, and have two square meals with their families. However, the overpopulation of my country has reduced the per capita income forcing many of the people below the poverty line. They become prey to dependence in many forms. When I think of these things, I feel an urge, a pressure to write. I go towards the writing desk as if in a trance. I retire to bed only after I get tired of writing at night. A man is there to help another man. Again, it is man who dominates another and brings about despair. I find this despair “the drudgery of civilization”. This drudgery of civilization makes me weary, too. The last thought of the night is also my country and her helpless, uncared for people. The colors of laughter, tears, pain, and despair of all people of all places of the world are the same. I use colors from that palate to paint in writings.

What inspires you in your current position/role?
Freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental right of man - a life without freedom to speak and express is like a life of a slave in chains. I am with the City of Asylum’s full time writing program for a year as a writer. City of Asylum has provided a place for me to write. For example, as a resident in Bangladesh, if I write an article in any  blog on the rights of the LGBQT community, and it's seen by the police, an ACT 57 will be applied and a case filed against me. Per Bangladeshi constitution, it can be considered a punishable offense. A militant group in Bangladesh had published my name on their kill list, and named me “enemy of Islam”. They said that I am waging an intellectual war against them through my writings and editorials. They had tried to kill me, but they could not. They have failed.

I am an atheist.  Personally, I do not harbor hate against any religion. I do not consider a religious, or God fearing person my enemy. But, I have encouraged people to stay away from any concept or ideology or religion that separates people, spreads hatred, vice, and intolerance. I have spoken against political parties that rely on religion motives. I demand separation of state from any particular religion because if a country where multiple religions are practiced, or gives importance to any one religion, it leads to oppression or discrimination of the minority religious groups by the majority ones. This leads to the breakdown of a social discipline and separatist opinions or feelings among men. Knowing that, militants will not be able to fight with the pen, so they have resorted to secret murders and assassinations of writers, bloggers, and online activists like me. They have multiple motives, such as: silence the voice of free thinkers, spread fear, get more attention, and apply the cruel Shariya law by getting into power in Bangladesh.

At least 5000 murders occur in Bangladesh every year. The world only gets to know those that are sensational. However, the murder of a writer leads to coverage in world media and more exposure for the assailants. Now they are losing before our pens. Although, 16 writers and activists have been murdered so far.

The failure to provide us with security by Bangladesh government is also a reason. I get to participate in various events here and I try to portray the good sides of our culture among the people here. I am enjoying the freedom of speech and expression fully in USA. There is individual freedom here as well. Here, people are interested in sharing each other’s experience, and are interested in learning each other’s culture. In the last year, I have been able to meet artists from various countries of the world, and have been able to share my thoughts with them while learning about their thoughts and ideas. This exchange inspires me. I get new ideas. I try to understand all the good views and ideas and try to enrich myself. Human life is never stagnant; it goes through a continuous process of acceptance and rejections.

What is something that people might be surprised to learn about you (hobby, skill, interesting story)?
I have been an avid reader and buyer of books from sixth grade. My sole attention was on the books outside those in my school curriculum. In my school days, I created my own library at home with the books I bought. I named it “Terrific library”! Some would be startled at my naming. I thought of creating a library that would have a frightfully big collection of books and I would open it to all that would open the portal to knowledge. Many hurdles could not fulfill that dream. At one time there used to be a library in every neighborhood made by the local people. In the early nineties, I saw the ruins of many such libraries in my city Barisal in Bangladesh. Later on, club houses were erected in those spots to spread the message of political parties, and in the guise of playing carom (a board game) or watching television, young people were often lured to drugs and addiction. Many young people became goons fostered by political parties.

The online availability of books has again increased the interest in reading among young generations. One can get books free as well. A writer had once said in Bangladesh, “No one becomes a pauper by buying books”. Those days are history. Books and paper costs have escalated. The government funds that come to the cultural committees under the Ministry of culture are often misappropriated.

I have studied commerce. I have completed management studies from public university in Bangladesh. Towards the end of the nineties, there was a boom of many non-government organizations and small businesses in Bangladesh. So, in an overpopulated country with millions of educated unemployed, a person with a commerce background could get a job easily than others. Many are surprised to learn that whatever I have learned about writing is from my own interest and endeavor. I do not have any diploma or certificate in any conventional creative writing course.  I am similar to the farmers of my country: self-taught. They grow crops on the fields. I grow crops on the pages of my note book.

I started writing at a young age, in elementary school. I started editing at age 16. I started writing against the Rajakars (traitors) who were against the war of liberation of Bangladesh, and who were in power when I was growing up. Not many high school students would do as much. I had to pay heavily one after another for this. I have edited nearly 50 magazines in the last decade and a half. I have received an award from an organization of Rajshahi University in 2011 for my editorial work. Editing is in my blood. I feel it in my veins every day, and the separation from my country pains me sometimes. I have been thinking of starting an online magazine here. Maybe then I will be able to work like before, and reach out to my desired audience in Bangladesh.

Why do you believe that the humanities are important to everyone, and not just people in academia?
Humans live for other humans, lives are meant to uplift other lives. If humans do not stand beside each other with love, there will be cruelty everywhere, and the world will be filled with savage cruel inhuman hearts leading to bloodbaths and wars. Humanity has to be practiced by everyone. There is no substitute to humanity in order to build up a beautiful and non-discriminating world.

~~~

Check back next month for more Coffee & Questions. In case you missed Denise Meringolo's interview last month, click here.

Want to be interviewed? Contact us.   

Each month, The Center for Public Humanities will interview a humanities scholar or community member and ask them everything from why they believe the humanities are important to what they're currently binge-watching. We hope that our new blog series, Coffee & Questions, will inspire you, introduce you to a variety of people and fields, as well as create new conversations.

Our guest this month is Denise Meringolo, a scholar-practitioner in the field of public history. She teaches courses in community-based public history practice, material culture, and visual culture. Her book Museums, Monuments, and National Parks: Toward a New Genealogy of Public History (University of Massachusetts, 2012) won the 2013 National Council on Public History prize for the best book in the field. Dr. Meringolo partners with Baltimore Heritage, a local preservation advocacy organization, to develop content for the app Explore Baltimore Heritage, which allows users to take self-guided walking tours of Baltimore neighborhoods. Prior to joining the Department of History faculty at the University of Maryland, Dr. Meringolo worked in numerous public history institutions, including the National Museum of American History, the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington and the Accokeek Foundation at Piscataway Park. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Council on Public History and chair of local arrangements for the organization’s 2016 Annual Meeting in Baltimore.

What work experiences (past or present) have been the most educational for you, and why?
I probably tell this story too often, but my tenure as the Curator of the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington was pivotal for me. I am not a native Washingtonian. I am not Jewish. This was my first experience with community based public history practice, and I found myself wondering, "What exactly am I supposed to be doing here? Am I supposed to tell people what their past means? Am I supposed to "correct" their interpretations? What is the function and value of public history in this space?" I am still always trying to answer those questions.

What project(s) are you currently working on?
I am working with a large group of scholars on a research project designed to identify historical connections between social justice activism and public history practice. The origins of our field are rooted in efforts to dampen change and control national identity. We are tracking an alternative genealogy for the field.

What's a book you've always wanted to read but haven't gotten around to?
Barack Obama's Dreams of My Father has been sitting in my night stand for YEARS. I swear every summer that I'm going to read it, but then I turn to fluffier fiction.

What is something that people might be surprised to learn about you (hobby, skill, interesting story)?
I'm a bit of an open book, so I'm not sure this is much of a secret, but I was very involved in musical theater at my high school, Shore Regional in West Long Branch, NJ. I played "the teacher" in a production of Working and General Cartwright in a production of Guys and Dolls. I also tried my hand at comedy, playing Norma Hubley, in a production of Plaza Suite. I gave up my Broadway pipe dream a long time --I wasn't that good-- I sometimes think of "Dr. Meringolo" as just another character I am playing!

What is the worst job that you had while working through your degree and what would you tell your past self now?
After I finished my MA degree, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do next, so I signed on to a temp agency and I got a long term temporary gig at a huge business consulting firm. The program managers would email calls for proposals to me, have me retype them and send them around to others in the office. That job was exactly the kick in the pants that I needed. I was NOT cut out for that job. I simply could not hide my disdain:  "Um. Why can't I just forward the CFP that you sent to me?" Never did get a good answer....

Check back next month for more Coffee & Questions. In case you missed Kristen Baldwin Deathridge's interview last month, click here.

Want to be interviewed? Contact us.   

Each month, The Center for Public Humanities will interview a humanities scholar or community member and ask them everything from why they believe the humanities are important to what they're currently binge-watching. We hope that our new blog series, Coffee & Questions, will inspire you, introduce you to a variety of people and fields, as well as create new conversations.

Our fifth guest is Kristen Baldwin Deathridge. She is an assistant professor of history at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, where she works with both undergraduate and graduate public history programs. She earned her PhD in Public History from Middle Tennessee State University in 2012 and an MA in Archaeology from the University of Reading in 2005. She specializes in working with communities to help preserve their stories and places.

What inspires you in your current position/role?
Hopefully this doesn't seem cliched, but the students that I work with inspire me so much. Helping folks work through new (to them) concepts is always a pleasure, but I'm truly inspired by the energy, creativity and passion that some of my students bring to their work.

What project(s) are you currently working on?
Several at once, which means there's always something to do when one project hits a slow period. I'll share a few. I've been working with a local group, the Junaluska Heritage Association to raise money for a monument for unmarked African American graves in the town cemetery. Click here to check it out. Working with another local group, the Lincoln Heights Recreation Corporation (alumni of a Rosenwald school), we've recently earned a grant to hold a digitization day event. Alumni and friends of the school can come and have their memorabilia scanned or photographed; there will also be public programs to share the history of the place. I'm also continuing work on several traditional scholarly writing projects.

Why do you believe that the humanities are important to everyone, and not just people in academia?
Languages, literature, history, philosophy, art, anthropology - people use what we call "the humanities" to explore what it means to be human, whether they recognize it in those terms or not. People use elements of the humanities as they contemplate their place(s) in the world. Perhaps more importantly, folks use elements of the humanities to understand one another; we learn from the creative output of others and ask new questions.

What shows are you currently binge-watching?
I'm really behind on my binging! Right now I'm watching Jessica Jones on Netflix. It is intense and mesmerizing; I won't say more because I don't want to spoil it for anyone slower than me.

What is the worst job that you had while working through your degree and what would you tell your past self now?
I had pretty good luck with jobs, honestly, but the most stressful was working as a bank teller. I'd tell myself two things. One: stop taking on other peoples' stress; you have plenty of your own; just help one person at a time. (I did learn this eventually, but I wish I'd gotten there more quickly) Two: start that 401(k) they offered you right away!--you'll end up in this job longer than you think. Practical, I know, but I really wish that I'd started saving earlier, even if it was only a little bit.

Thank you, Kristen, for sharing your exciting projects and perspective on the humanities.  

Check back next month for more Coffee & Questions. In case you missed Jacob Miller's interview, click HERE.

Want to be interviewed? Contact us.   

Each month, The Center for Public Humanities will interview a humanities scholar or community member and ask them everything from why they believe the humanities are important to what they're currently binge-watching. We hope that our new blog series, Coffee & Questions, will inspire you, introduce you to a variety of people and fields, as well as create new conversations.

Our fourth guest is Jake Miller, alumnus from Slippery Rock University's master's program in history in 2013. He currently works as the Interpretive Programs Manager at Fort Delaware State Park/Fort DuPont State Park/Port Penn Interpretive Center with Delaware State Parks.

What inspires you in your current position/role?
I am inspired by the idea of children becoming engaged with history and beginning what may become, for some, a lifelong passion for the art. I see historical literacy as hugely important to understanding many of today's big social and political issues, and I am happy to be able to work toward improving people's knowledge.

What work experiences (past or present) have been the most educational for you, and why?
I had the opportunity to receive Certified Interpretive Guide training through work. This is valuable to me as a professional interpreter, but also has wide-ranging applications for any job I may get because it involves how to communicate a message and get others connected with that message. 

What project(s) are you currently working on?
One of the long-term projects that we are working on is putting together a program for high school students that will integrate physics and math skills with historical education. We will bring students to our 1900s era coast artillery site and get them to work on a large math/physics problem involving firing on a theoretical ship with one of the guns that was here. Integrated into this problem will be a lot of information on what life for an artillerist at the fort was like during that time period. I'm excited about the project because it integrates multiple disciplines, and so will be very valuable and popular, I think, with the educational community. 

Why do you believe that the humanities are important to everyone, and not just people in academia?
Hard to go into this in two sentences, but the humanities bring a deeper appreciation and richness to all parts of life. Humanities force you wrestle with difficult ideas and questions, and gives you the ability to understand those who are different from you. Necessary tools for life, and ones that you cannot acquire except through studying the humanities! 

What is something that people might be surprised to learn about you (hobby, skill, interesting story)?
I actually grew up overseas, in Portugal and Mozambique.

Thank you, Jake, for sharing how your work directly influences a wide variety of people.

Check back next month for more Coffee & Questions. In case you missed Karen Pierce's interview, click here.

Want to be interviewed? Contact us.   

Each month, The Center for Public Humanities will interview a humanities scholar or community member and ask them everything from why they believe the humanities are important to what they're currently binge-watching. We hope that our new blog series, Coffee & Questions, will inspire you, introduce you to a variety of people and fields, as well as create new conversations.

Our third guest is Karen Pierce, director of the Slippery Rock Community Library. Karen loves books, loves talking about books, loves finding new books to read, and well, loves helping people to find books and information. Ms. Pierce used to sell books for children and the position of librarian was a perfect fit. She is pursuing her degree in library science at Clarion University. Karen notes the best part of her job is working with the people who walk through the library door. Ms. Pierce is "information central" and can answer most any question posed to her and if she doesn't know, she knows where to go to find the answer. She has been working at the library since 2008.

What inspires you in your current position/role?   
I really like my job at the Slippery Rock Community Library.  I enjoy being able to help people find information and solutions.  I like being a point of information for the community.                                                
What work experiences (past or present) have been the most educational for you, and why?  
I was an Independent Educational Sales Consultant for Usborne Books.  I learned so much from that job -  marketing skills, including marketing not only the books but myself as well, working with the public,  customer service and some computer skills.  I loved selling kids books - really they sell themselves - they still are some of my favorite books!                    

What project(s) are you currently working on?     
We are currently working on building a new library!  I am very excited.  We are located right now in a room that is 283 square feet and we've outgrown that room a long time ago.  We've been raising funds and are ready to build a new library at 465 North Main St that will be around 2700 square feet.  Our community is ready for this!                                                                                                             

Why do you believe that the humanities are important to everyone, and not just people in academia?  
I think the study of humanities is important for everyone!  Humanities is the study and interpretation of language, literature and history among other things and I think it's good to be able to understand the context of a conversation.  For example, a conversation in our current time is about the Constitution and how it was written by the founding fathers and how it is being interpreted today.  Are we interpreting it the way our founding fathers intended? How has society changed in 200 + years?  This is but one example of why humanities is an very important part of our education.  Think of the other things we interpret - Religious texts, historical documents, ancient history - before the written word.  We are shaped as a community by events that happened in the past and the things that happen today will shape how our community looks, acts, responds in the future.   

What shows are you currently binge-watching?    
I rarely watch TV live.  I record Timeless and The Walking Dead. I am restless though so I usually can't sit through an entire episode without pausing it and doing something else for a while.        

Thank you, Karen, for sharing how you're bringing humanities into our community. We look forward to the new library!

Check back next month for more Coffee & Questions. In case you missed Seth Bruggeman's interview, click here.

Want to be interviewed? Contact us.   

Each month, The Center for Public Humanities will interview a humanities scholar or community member and ask them everything from why they believe the humanities are important to what they're currently binge-watching. We hope that our new blog series, Coffee & Questions, will inspire you, introduce you to a variety of people and fields, as well as create new conversations.

Our second guest is Seth C. Bruggeman, Associate Professor of History at Temple University.  He is former director of the Center for Public History and currently serves as National Park Service Special Projects Coordinator for Temple’s University College.  A graduate of the College of William & Mary’s PhD program in American Studies, Bruggeman studies the role of memory in public life, and particularly how Americans have used objects—in museums, historic, sites, and other commemorative spaces—to exert control over how we understand the past.  His books include an edited volume, Born in the USA: Birth and Commemoration in American Public Memory (University of Massachusetts Press, 2012), and Here, George Washington Was Born: Memory, Material Culture, and the Public History of a National Monument (University of Georgia Press, 2008).

What inspires you in your current position/role?
Extreme though it may sound, I consider myself to be in the business of training culture warriors.  It’s a notion that, for me, dates back to the summer of 1995 when I interned at the Library of Congress’s Archive of Folk Culture where, in many ways, my identify as a historian began to form.  It was there, for instance, that I learned to do oral history, in part by listening to and processing recordings made by some of the nation’s most renowned folklorists.  But at the same time that I was getting excited about oral history and the progressive commitments of the Archive and its staff, I was also strolling past the Smithsonian’s Air and Space museum each day, where protestors flocked that summer around the new Enola Gay exhibit.  And sometimes the other interns and I would spend lunch breaks watching congressional debate, which had become fevered amid the partisan rancor that would shut down the government just months later.  I began to realize then that what I valued most about the Archive and, really, about history and the humanities, was far more vulnerable to the whims of politicians and private interests than I had ever imagined.

Now, amid ongoing assaults against public and higher education, and with the collapse of public funding for cultural nonprofits and even for the National Park Service, I’ve made it a goal to prepare students to be advocates, not just for their own work, but for the ideas and institutions that give that work meaning.

What work experiences (past or present) have been the most educational for you, and why?
During high school I worked in an auto body shop and really enjoyed it, so much so that it wasn’t clear to me then that going to college was the right choice.  In hindsight, of course, it was, but that job and several other stints over the years as a laborer and tradesperson have kept me honest about what I value and how I want to spend my time.  I know, for instance, that I can’t be content spending the entirety of my days at a desk or behind a computer.  And I get really restless when my daily orbit doesn’t extend beyond academia.  So, even though I can’t always control my work life, having some self-knowledge goes a long way toward finding a workable balance.
 
What project(s) are you currently working on?
I get bored easily, so I try to keep a handful of long and short-term projects in motion concurrently. Right now, for instance, my long-term projects include a book about the history of American maritime museums, and an administrative history of the Boston National Historical Park commissioned by the Organization of American Historians / National Park Service collaborative.  

Shorter-term projects include a guide to commemoration that I am editing for the American Association of State and Local History, and a grant proposal that aims to make non-traditional learning environments—e.g. machine shops, art studios, performance spaces—a regular part of humanities training at Temple.  The project that I’m most excited about right now involves developing a degree program for our students that would lead to guaranteed job placements in the National Park Service.  We do this now for law enforcement careers—a program called ProRanger—but my charge is to devise a parallel track for careers in heritage interpretation.
 
Why do you believe that the humanities are important to everyone, and not just people in academia?
This question always makes me think of Mihaly Csikszenthmihalyi’s wonderful essay, “Why We Need Things,” which posits that humans constantly gather stuff so as to create order within our otherwise disorganized and drifting minds.  We need things, because without some kind of external order, we lose ourselves.  I think that’s true, but I’d also suggest that the humanities strengthen our ability to organize our own minds apart from the constant noise Csikszenthmihalyi equates with consumer culture. 

Delving into the humanities shows us how to find beauty in surprising places, to see patterns across place and time, to be calm amid confusion.  The humanities make us self-reliant, but also help us learn to share ourselves with others.  They give us the confidence to confront a world wherein order of any kind is fleeting.

What is something that people might be surprised to learn about you (hobby, skill, interesting story)?
A lot of folks are surprised to discover that, despite my commitments to doing public history, I am terribly uncomfortable with being a historian in public.  I despise public speaking, and although I do really love teaching, I rarely enjoy being in front of a crowd or in any other way being in the spotlight.  I do, however, enjoy learning from people in the places where they live and work.  This likely explains why so much of my public historical work has involved oral and/or institutional history.  My students, on the other hand, are wonderfully confident public actors, and it gives me great joy to be among their audiences.

Thanks, Seth, for taking the time to share your insights about the humanities as well as what you're currently working on.

Check back next month for more Coffee & Questions. In case you missed Mary Rizzo's interview, click here.

Want to be interviewed? Contact us.

The Center for Public Humanities is excited to announce our new blog series called Coffee & Questions. Each month, we'll be interviewing a humanities scholar or community member and asking them everything from why they believe the humanities are important to what they're currently binge-watching on Netflix. We hope that this blog series will inspire you, introduce you to a variety of people and fields, as well as create new conversations.

Our first guest is Mary Rizzo, Associate Director of Digital and Public Humanities Initiatives in the Graduate Program in American Studies at Rutgers University-Newark. Prior to coming to Newark, she spent a decade working in public history and public humanities at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities, the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, small museums (including an 18th century historic house where George Washington actually slept), and other educational organizations. She tweets as rizzo_pubhist and blogs (occasionally) at maryrizzo.net.

What inspires you in your current position/role?
My students and the people of Newark inspire me. My students are constantly asking hard questions of me about what is means to do the humanities in public, about how we deal with contemporary issues in a way that attends to the power dynamics at play in them and make that accessible to people beyond the university walls. Newark's people are inspiring because they are so determined. The activists, community members, and people who work at cultural institutions here make miracles happen with almost no resources at all. On those days when I feel simply overwhelmed I think about what they're accomplishing and it renews me.

What project(s) are you currently working on?
My biggest project is the launch of our new MA track in public humanities in our American Studies program. This new track, which is centered on inclusivity and social justice, grounds students in the history, theory and methods of the public humanities, gives them opportunities to do real work in projects in and out of classes, and includes nonprofit management courses to make sure they're ready to take on leadership roles when they graduate. We are especially interested in recruiting people already working in the field who want to get some additional training to move up in the world.

Why do you believe that the humanities are important to everyone, and not just people in academia?
Everyone engages with the humanities. When you turn to your friend after watching a Netflix and say, "you know what that movie made me think about?" you're engaging in the humanities. What we do in the public humanities is collaboration between community scholars and university scholars to illuminate contemporary issues of importance. For example, in Fall 2016, my grad seminar worked with community organizations and community members to develop an exhibit about community responses to police misconduct in Newark since the 1960s as a way to contextualize the recent announcement of a civilian complaint review board and Department of Justice consent decree. That's a specific use of the humanities to help us contextualize and understand a complicated contemporary issue. But the humanities are being "done" around us every day.

What shows are you currently binge-watching?
I'm always way behind on my shows. I'm finally catching up with House of Cards, though finding the middle of the 4th season a slog. Given our current election, it's fascinating to see the power plays and behind the scenes politicking. I keep wondering whether Frank and Claire are modelled on the Clintons. There seem to be a number of parallels, so that adds another layer to the show. I'm also rewatching The Wire, but that's work, not pleasure, since I'm writing a book about cultural representations of Baltimore since the 1950s. Except the show is so good, it's also pleasure.

What is the worst job that you had while working through your degree and what would you tell your past self now?
I worked as an office temp a lot during my grad school years. Since I was getting a PhD, temp agencies figured that I would be ok to place as assistants to fairly high up people. The absolute worst job I had was working for a very senior executive at an insurance company because his admin was on maternity leave. He was condescending and so incompetent that I was told by another admin he wasn't even allowed to turn on his computer because he would break it. One day he yelled at me to find him scotch tape and when I brought him the only kind we had--in the plastic dispenser--he basically called me an idiot who couldn't do her job because he wanted it without the dispenser. I wish I had walked out right then and there, but I did end up writing a short story about that experience which was not flattering to him at all. Weapons of the weak! 

Thanks for sharing, Mary! We enjoyed learning more about you and your current projects.

Check back next month for more Coffee & Questions. Want to be featured? Contact us.